Writer's Workshop...PROGRESS!

I puffy heart love Writer’s Workshop. I follow my district’s curriculum for covering the TEKS but the steps I use to teach my children how to write come from my own writing unit. You can see it here. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Kindergartners-Can-Be-Authors-Too-How-to-Teach-Writers-Workshop

Each year, our pacing is different depending on the abilities of the class. Lots of things factor in when it comes to how fast we move. Discipline and independence play a big part. The amount of time we spend on writing also depends on each child’s stamina. We work hard to building writing stamina just like we build reading stamina. It’s unfair to expect me to expect a child to sit down and write and illustrate a story from beginning to the end if they haven’t built up this ability.

Some of my students are still on step three, labeling, still today, while others are soaring at writing complete stories. I tell them all the time that yes, we can write amazing sentences that follow all of the rules, but are they telling a story. Do they have a beginning, middle and end? We are past “I like my mom. I like my dad. I like my dog.”

Here are a few student examples of their sentences in WWS.

Each morning, we complete our morning work. Right now we are on set two.  

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Morning-Work-Kindergarten-Independent-Set-2

Then, in our journal (spirals), we write stories. These are my absolute favorite! I call on a few students to throw out a topic, then we vote. Once a topic is chosen, I ask my students what vocabulary they need help with spelling. I write five words on the white board. The rest of the words will be sound out by each child. I like this for several reasons. First, it makes them think about what words they would use to write. If we are writing about a farm, they may suggest barn, farm, cow, etc.  This is also a way to teach vocabulary to students who have not had exposure to these particular ways. When I write the words on the board, I reiterate spelling rules to them to help them understand how they would have sounded them out write them their selves had they needed to. Here are a few examples of journaling. 

"My plane had cookies. My plane had apple sauce. The plane was awesome."

This week they wanted to write Easter stories every day. They were all different though and I just loved it. I loved that they had several opportunities to write various “books” on the same topic and the places their imagination took them. I do allow them to write fiction or nonfiction during journaling. I am really looking for them to understand the beginning, middle and end concept with this. I also want them to now move on past repetitive text.

It really is great to be a kindergarten writer!

Love and virtual hugs.